Someone to Save You from You
by DesiringMagic
Summary: Fresh from regeneration, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara are headed toward their first adventure together. But will unfamiliarity and dangerous situations on a spaceship cause an early end to their travels? (This is such a horrible summary.) *Rating change to T.
1. Prologue: Part 1

Chapter 1: Good Starts

He had passed out shortly after regenerating and she took it upon herself to drag him back to the Tardis. Once inside, she left him lying on the floor and took a moment to catch her breath. After her breathing normalized, she began to pace around the console room, not even sparing him a glance.

She was very nervous, to be honest. She didn't know whether she should be doing something else besides waiting for him to wake up. And if she was perfectly honest with herself, a small part of her didn't want him to wake up. At least not right now. She needed a little bit of time. She still wasn't mentally prepared for dealing with this new him.

Sure, knowing that he could change before hand was defiantly helping her cope with the situation. But knowing something could happen and have it actually happen right in front of you are two different things.

Would she like him? Would he like her? How different would he be from her Doctor? What if they didn't get along and he kicked her out? Her pacing increased at that thought, and she couldn't help but wish that she still had her Doctor. She missed him terribly already. She rapidly blinked to stop the flooding tears from falling.

Maybe she was just overreacting. She'll learn to love this him just as much as she loved the other. All she needed to do was wait for him to wake up and make sure they had a good start to whatever relationship they were going to have from now on. She took a few calming breaths and kneeled down next to him to finally let herself look over his new body.

He was slightly taller now, judging by how his pants were higher up his legs than usual. He didn't have that child-like face anymore. Wrinkles lined his face, especially around his mouth and eyes. Hopefully he was one for smiles. His chin was smaller, thank god for that. His hair was multiple shades of gray and she found herself liking it very much. It suited this new him. He might not think so, though. From what she could remember he really wants to be ginger.

"Maybe next time, Doctor." She whispered with a smile as she reached her hand out to ruffle his hair. However, she never got a chance for something caught her wrist in midair. The surprise caused her to yell but she quickly covered her mouth with her free hand.

Suddenly, he bolted up into a sitting position and looked around, confused. He finally seemed to notice that he was still holding onto her and let go to examine his hands. He turned them around a couple of times at differing distances from his face before finally settling his gaze on her. He blinked a couple of times. She tried to give him a small smile and waved her hand a little.

Uneasiness quickly settled within her when she saw his expression change from confusion to disgust. He gave a loud groan.

"You have _got_ to be joking. As if the regeneration itself wasn't enough, now I have to deal with _this_!" He punctuated with a motion to Clara.

"What did I do!?" Clara shouted indignantly. So much for good starts.

"And not only that, I'm Scottish now! Well I guess that part isn't really that bad." He got up, swaying a little before steadying himself.

"Oh, I'm taller now…" He looked down at her as she too stood up, ready to help him incase he lost his balance again. "Or maybe you just got shorter?"

"No, I'm sure you're the one that got taller." She said hesitantly.

"Hmm…"

She eyed him cautiously while he turned around and walked slowly out of the console room and into the hall. His hands were slightly outstretched in front of him, like he was afraid of bumping into something. She followed behind and watched as he entered a room. She waited out in the hall to see if he was going to come out and entered when he didn't.

They were in the wardrobe, rows of clothes stood before her. She would have been amazed at the size of the room, but she had already been there thanks to the endless number of times the Tardis had changed the location of her bedroom, forcing her to wander aimlessly for hours.

She looked around, standing on her toes to see where he had gone to. She walked through the clothes and found him crouched down and digging inside a box full of…

"Glasses?" But he paid no attention to her and continued to look through the box, mumbling incoherent words and occasionally trying on a pair.

"Why are you looking at glasses?" No reply.

"It would be nice if you stopped ignoring me." She said, crossing her arms and taking a defensive stance. Nope, definitely not a good start. She was about to repeat herself when he suddenly gave a triumphant shout, startling her.

"Aha! Perfect!" He turned around excitedly and came to stand right in front of her, slightly invading her personal space. "So what do you think?"

She became slightly annoyed at his demand for attention when he wasn't giving her any and was about to sass him until she noticed the slightly rectangular, black rimmed glasses now resting on the bridge of his nose. She took a closer look, noticed the thickness of the lenses, and realized why he had acted the way he did before.

"Are you blind?" She asked trying to stifle a giggle. But apparently she didn't do a good job of it as his smile quickly dropped and a faint blush covered his cheeks. It was nice to see the blush was still the same.

"No!" He shouted with irritation and took a step back from her. "It's just… fashion."

"Of course it is, give me those." She reached up and took his glasses off.

"Hey! Give them back!" He reached out a hand to grab them but she evaded him and put the glasses on. Pain struck her eyes at the sudden blurriness and she blinked heavily.

"Oh my God! You're as blind as a bat!" She said jeeringly.

"I'm so sorry we can't all have perfect vision like you. Now give them here!" But she evaded his grasp again and continued to walk away from him to look around the room in awe.

"I'm amazed you made it all the way over here without tripping over or crashing into a wall." She said with a smirk.

"Oswin, give them to me."

She froze in her spot and turned to face him. He came up and took the glasses from her face and planted them on his.

"Did you just call me 'Oswin'?"

"Yes, it is your name after all."

"No, it's not."

He looked at her as if she was stupid.

"Yes it is. 'Clara Oswin Oswald'. See? After the 'Clara' and before the 'Oswald'. How do you not know your own name?" He asked incredulously.

"That's not my name, not really." She said with a huff.

"Then what is it?"

"It's just 'Clara Oswald'. How do you not remember that?" She asked, mocking him. He obviously didn't take the way she mocked him very well for she saw his eyes narrow dangerously.

"No, it's not."

"Doctor, I think I know my own name."

"No, you clearly don't. As it just so happened 'Clara Oswin Oswald' was written on your tomb stone. So, HA!" He pushed her forehead slightly with his pointer finger, crossed his arms, and puffed his chest out in victory. She had a feeling that he would be doing that quite often.

"Doctor, that was one of my echoes. You know, the echoes that saved you a million times? Besides, how could it have been _my_ tomb stone if I'm standing right in front of you?" She watched as his triumphant stance changed to one of sheepishness. He shifted his glasses slightly. Her heart softened at his actions.

"Yes, well, I still like 'Oswin' better." He stated without looking at her and turning his attention to the nearby clothes on the racks. Clara couldn't help but smile. She liked this new banter between them, even if this new him was getting on her nerves more times than before. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of him calling her 'Oswin'.

"You can call me 'Oswin' if you want." She said, hoping to heal his wounded pride.

"Oh, I was going to call you 'Oswin' whether you liked it or not. But I guess your approval makes things easier." He responded cheekily while looking through the clothes. She gave him a playful punch on the arm and smiled when she saw his body shake slightly from silent laughter.

Maybe this was a good start after all.

**Author's Note:**** At first, this was going to be a short story (Just this chapter) but I couldn't resist writing more :D Yes, I will be having the Doctor call Clara 'Oswin' throughout this story because it's one of my hopes that he will do so in the show (it probably will never happen, but hey, I can dream can't I?) So if that bugs you then I'm sorry to say that it doesn't get any easier from here. I'm also trying to write them with a father-daughter thing going (inspiration coming from my own relationship with my dad) because I really want that to happen too. Although I have to add that I DO NOT object to a romantic relationship between them and that I'm actually hoping for that just as much as the father-daughter thing. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think. Thanks!**


	2. Prologue: Part 2

Chapter 2: Clothes for You

They were still in the wardrobe as the Doctor had begun busying himself with looking through the contents. She had been a little confused until she remembered that he was probably looking for something new to wear. His current outfit was torn and ragged; and even if it wasn't, he probably didn't like it anymore since now he was a new man and had new tastes. It seemed he had read her mind because he called out to her over his shoulder.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Clara became excited at the prospect. She had always wanted to help him pick something out to wear, mostly to get rid of that ridiculous bowtie.

"So what are you looking for?" She moved closer to him and inspected the article he was currently holding.

"I don't know."

"Then what do you want to put on?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what do you like?"

"I don't know."

"Then what do you _do_ know?" She asked, irritated.

"That you're very easily annoyed… and childish." He added when he saw her stick out her tongue at him. She sighed and decided to walk around. Maybe the other side of the room had something he could wear. She looked through the clothes, picking up bits and pieces that she wanted him to try on. After a while she decided to go back to him, mostly because she couldn't carry anymore things.

She went back to the last place she had seen him but couldn't spot him anywhere, just the box of glasses.

"Doctor! Where are you?"

"Over here!" She looked around but still couldn't see him.

"Where?"

"Just head to the staircase!" She looked around and her eyes finally settled on a winding metal staircase at the far end of the room. She walked over to it and hastily dropped the clothes, groaning at the achy feeling of her arms. But he wasn't there either. She took a closer look at the stairs and noticed that they continued in both directions: to a lower floor and to an upper floor.

"Doctor?"

"Up here!" She climbed the stairs and saw him surrounded by what she guessed was his own pile of 'clothes to try on'. It seems like he had already tried some on as his purple coat, and waist coat were no where to be seen, his shirt wasn't tucked in and was unbuttoned at the top, and he was barefoot. She tried to ignore the little stab of pain at noticing that the bowtie was also no where to be found.

"I've found some clothes you could try on."

"Great! Bring them up." She sighed pointedly.

"But it's a lot and my arms hurt from carrying them around trying to find you."

"Well, then what do you prefer? Bringing your pile up, or taking my pile down?" He asked, pointing to the pile of clothes she had spotted. It was bigger than hers.

"Why can't you carry it!?"

"Because I'll be carrying the other pile." He pointed to another pile that was still bigger than the first.

She groaned and headed down the stairs to get her pile of clothes. But when she got back up, he was gone again. She abruptly dropped the clothes at her feet. Was this whole disappearing nonsense going to be a thing now?

"Doctor, I am not carrying these clothes to another floor again!"

"Calm down!" He came into view, carrying something above his head. A mirror. He rested it against one of the racks of clothes and turned to face her.

"You're tired already?" She asked once she noticed that he was slightly out of breath.

"It was heavy!" She smirked.

"If you get that way with only a mirror, then I hope you can still keep up with the Daleks."

"Of course I still can! I've got longer legs now, unlike your twigs." He said, motioning to her legs.

"Well, these twigs come with a strong and _youthful_ pair of lungs, _old man_." Suddenly a shirt came hurtling toward her, hitting her square on the face. She became a little worried that she may have overdone it with the teasing but then she saw his smug expression and couldn't stop herself from throwing the shirt right back. He promptly caught it before it hit his face and his smirk grew.

"Show off." She stuck her tongue out again.

"You're just jealous." He dropped the shirt on one of the piles and silence fell as they both stared at the clothes. "Well, I guess we better get started."

Four hours, and multiple eye shieldings to let him change, later and they were still trying to finish off his new outfit. Clara's excitement had quickly disappeared after the first hour and now she was just plain exhausted of looking at clothes. If it had been up to her they would have finished two hours ago, but the Doctor kept insisting that something was missing, something that would complete the outfit to perfection.

She still couldn't see it. Everything was fine to her. They had decided on a wine red dress shirt that he promptly decided to wear with the top button undone; a dark gray, tweed waistcoat (she had insisted on the waistcoat – because of the previous him, she had come to love tweed); black, slim fit pants that were tucked into a pair of black, calf-high, punk rock, slightly worn out, lace-up combat boots (she had protested at first but his stubbornness ended up winning); and a navy blue long coat.

She had tried to convince him to wear contacts, (he had absolutely refused to), but now she agreed that the glasses did add a certain flavor to the get up. He did look rather amazing. If only he agreed.

"Doctor, can I leave now?" She called out while lying on the pile of rejected clothes.

"No. You have to help me. Something's missing and I need to find out what." She moved her gaze from the ceiling to him. He was still staring steadily at himself in the mirror.

"But everything's fine. You don't need anything else."

"Yes I do."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Something that I don't wear all the time but can carry around for when I do need to wear it. An accessory of some kind…"

Suddenly the idea struck her. She got up and made for the stairs.

"Oswin? Where are you going? You still haven't helped me find what I nee – and she's gone." He sighed and turned back to the mirror. But instead of examining the outfit, he stared at his new face, bringing a hand up to touch the features.

"Do I have one of those faces that no one listens to… _again_?"

After a couple of minutes, he heard her make her way up the staircase.

"Did you get tired of being bored somewhere else and came to be bored here again?" He turned when he didn't hear the feisty answer he was expecting and saw her a few feet away. Her stance showed a bit of frailty and she was holding something in her hands.

"I think I found something." She walked up to him, unfolding the cream colored scarf and wrapping it around his neck. Her hands lingered on the material before slipping to her sides. She never took her eyes off it, though.

"It belonged to my mother. It was her favorite and my dad gave it to me after she had passed away. I've never worn it, though. Not much of a scarf person." She added with a weak laugh. He could see the tears begin to pool in her eyes.

Without warning, he hunched over slightly and pulled her into a tight embrace. She tensed up for a few seconds but soon wrapped her arms around his midsection, holding onto him a little tighter than she normally would have. After a while they separated and Clara wiped away a couple of tears that had finally managed to escape.

The Doctor took one final glance at the mirror and smiled once he noticed Clara's reflection standing beside his, smiling back. Without breaking the stare, he took her hand in his for the first time and squeezed it.

"Not bad, huh?"

Her smile widened, and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Not bad at all."

**Author's Note:**** So tell me what you think. I would love to hear from you guys. I promise the adventure will start in chapter 3. I just couldn't resist writing some more fluffiness between them :D Also, sorry that Twelve's outfit isn't really creative. I don't know anything about fashion so I tried to compensate with the colors he was going to wear. I hope you guys like it.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Wrong Destinations

"So where do you want to go?"

Clara watched while he pushed buttons and pulled levers. Gone were the frantic running and spinning to be replaced with calm and commanding strides around the console. She was going to miss the clumsiness but she liked the air of authority that this new him gave out. Not that his past self couldn't master an authoritative air. But it was more evident now. He didn't even have to try. It was written all over: from the glasses perched on his nose, giving an intellectual vibe, to his erect posture, which showed strength and had the power to intimidate.

But she was also glad to see that not everything was different. He still had the same blush that she had seen when she had teased him about his glasses. He still had that tick of adjusting something on his person, only this time it was the glasses instead of the bowtie. He obviously still had the habit of pushing and pulling things on the console when it wasn't really necessary. And the way he looked at her. She could still feel the same warmth and see the same pain behind those now grey-blue eyes.

"Oswin?"

"Hmm?" Shaking her head, she stopped her wandering thoughts. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I know I'm such a dream to stare at, but, please, control yourself."

"Don't be so cocky, Doctor. You're not that impressive. And even if you were, there's no way I would make it so obvious. Wouldn't want to feed that massive ego of yours." She could tell he was trying to hide a smile. Knowing that he was failing to do so, he turned back to the console.

"My massive ego aside, have you decided where you want to go?" Walking away from the stairs, she came up beside him and pushed some buttons in thought. He quickly swatted her hands away so she walked around. After several more seconds in silence, he groaned.

"Why are you taking so long to decide? Just tell me a date!" She wasn't as happy to note that his former impatience and restlessness was still there.

"It's not easy to choose when you know little about the past and nothing about the future! If you're so eager to go somewhere then you choose."

"Alright, then. I will. Prepare to be blown away!" The Tardis shook violently as he typed in a destination. Clara held onto the railing and grinned when she saw him run around the console, flipping and pushing here and there. Maybe that little manic trait wasn't gone after all.

The Tardis finally settled down and the Doctor helped Clara up from the floor. Pulling her toward the doors, he stopped and turned to face her.

"Are you ready? Behind these doors is a whole new world. Gelactria, to be precise. A planet just born. You're about to see white mountains caped with blue snow. Velvet soft grass that reaches up to your knees and a faded yellow sky. The only big species to inhabit for now are birdlike creatures larger than this police box. Maybe we'll get to ride one." Be grabbed the door handles. "Ready?"

Clara nodded vehemently. He pulled both doors at once and they came face to face with…

"A hallway." They stepped out and looked at their surroundings. Definitely a hallway. Clara crossed her arms and put all her weight on one leg.

"Is your snog box acting up again?"

"She's not a snog box!" He called back from the console. He was looking at the monitor, glasses perched at the top of his head as he took a closer look at the readings.

"So where are we?"

"I don't know. These readings don't make any sense. Apparently we're on a cargo ship but it doesn't say what the cargo is."

"Should we just leave? A cargo ship isn't exactly filled with velvet soft grass."

"Yeah, I guess so. Close the doors will you. I'll start putting in new coordinates." But just as he said those words, the Tardis started up and began to fade around them.

"What's going on!?"

The Doctor hastily repositioned his glasses and began to frantically push buttons. But soon his hand was going right through the console. Next thing they knew they were alone in the hallway and no Tardis.

"It left us! Your snog box left us stranded here!" She punched his arm.

"Hey! Well maybe it's because you called her a snog box!"

"So now this is my fault!?"

"Yes! If you hadn't insulted her then this wouldn't have happened!"

Clara was about to retort but stopped when she heard multiple heavy footsteps. Soon they were surrounded by ten armed aliens. Guns pointed at them. Clara moved closer to the Doctor to whisper.

"Got a plan?"

"Why do I always have to come up with the plan?"

"Because you're the impressive one, remember?"

"Oh, so now I'm impressive?"

"Just think of something!"

"You can't escape even if you tried." The armed aliens in front of them stepped aside to reveal the source of the voice. The new alien walked towards them, stopping a meter or so in front of them. He was shorter than the Doctor by an inch or two but his stance held just as much confidence. His hands and facial features were human-like but he had no ears or hair. His skin was light blue and looked slimy. Cat eyes stared intently at the Doctor, who held the stare.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor and this is Oswin." Clara saw as the man's eyes flickered instantly with recognition at hearing the Doctor say who he was. But just as fast as the reaction appeared, it had disappeared. She was about to ask whether he knew the Doctor but stopped when she saw movement from the aliens surrounding them. They were putting down their weapons.

"My apologies, Doctor. One can never be too sure when it comes to people randomly showing up onboard. I'm Lieutenant Castrel Marshall, at your service." He saluted, earning a grimace from the Doctor.

"Marshall?" Clara inquired.

"My father was human." The Lieutenant explained, used to people's confusion at him having a human name. "If you'll please follow me. Colonel Astrof wants to see the intruders. Not that you're intruding, Doctor. It's truly an honor to have you onboard."

"Have we met before?" He asked, easily catching up to walk next to the Lieutenant, leaving Clara behind and struggling to keep up.

"Not personally. But I've heard many stories about you when I was training at the academy. You're legendary. Kept calling you the perfect warrior." Clara watched as the Doctor's face darkened. She had never seen that expression before, not even from his previous self. But it was the intensity of the expression that unsettled her.

"Doctor? Are y-"

"Where exactly am I?" The Doctor asked the Lieutenant, effectively cutting Clara off mid-question. "My ship told me this was a cargo ship, but what's the cargo?"

"Ah, yes. I've heard about your Tardis. A ship that looks like a wooden police box but holds infinite space. Truly remarkable."

"Yeah, yeah. Now answer my questions."

"Doctor," Clara whispered, nudging him with her elbow. "Don't be so rude to the man with the gun." She gestured slightly to the futuristic gun resting in the Lieutenant's holster.

"Don't worry, Miss…"

"Clara."

"Miss Clara, I have no intention of shooting you or the Doctor. You are on Byltro 29." The Lieutenant said, finally addressing the Doctor's question. "It's part of the Eastern fleet of the Venestrian Army. Byltro is a cargo ship and we are currently headed back to Venestra for the High Council to decide the fate of our package."

"Fate of your package? What does that mean? What are you transporting?"

"War criminals."

**Author's Note:**** Writing their banter is fun. What do you think?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Questionable Commands

Clara stopped abruptly.

The Doctor and the Lieutenant took a couple of strides before noticing that she wasn't following behind.

"What's the matter, Oswin?"

"We're stranded on a ship… full of war criminals?"

"That's what Marshall – can I call you Marshall?"

The Lieutenant looked taken aback. "Yes, of course, Doctor."

"That's what Marshall said. I swear, Oswin, it seems like you're the one that regenerated instead of me. Were you always this slow to catch on?" Clara gave him a look which he ignored and resumed walking.

"Besides, I wouldn't say that we're stranded. I just need to find the Tardis. And even if we are, nothing's going to happen. I'm sure Marshall here has everything under control concerning the criminals."

They came to a stop and waited while the Lieutenant entered a code that opened a door to what looked like a control center. Entering the room, the two took a moment to look at their surroundings while the aliens who had had them surrounded earlier went back to their stations.

"Are these the intruders?" A harsh voice rang.

Suddenly a woman came to stand right in front of them. She looked completely different from the Lieutenant and more like the others who had the guns pointed at them earlier. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, allowing her pointed ears to become more obvious. She was fit and her narrow, cold eyes did much to intimidate despite her short stature. All of her attention was drawn to the Doctor. Clara could've danced around naked in front of her and she would be none the wiser.

"Doctor, Miss Clara, this is Colonel Zeena Astrof. Colonel, this is the Doctor and Miss Oswin Clara."

"That's not my name. It's just-"

"Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor." The Doctor replied, a little bored.

"And I'm just Clara Oswald. No 'Oswin' whatsoever." But again, no one paid her any heed.

"Colonel, this is _the_ Doctor." The Colonel's face changed from scrutiny to pleasure.

"Ah, so this is the famous Doctor. The legendary warrior they told us so much about back in the academy."

"Don't call me that." There was a hint of disgust and vexation in his voice. The Colonel only smirked and took a step closer.

"My, you are a feisty one, aren't you?" The Colonel's eyes roamed down and back up again to meet the Doctor's gaze. "And maybe a bit handsome." Clara's jaw almost fell to the floor at watching the Colonel flirt with Doctor. But what was really entertaining was to see the Doctor's reaction.

His eyes were wide, eyebrows high on his forehead, his mouth slightly open, and he was leaning back, trying to get more space between his body and the Colonel's without actually taking a step back. But the icing on the cake had to be the blush that was creeping across his face.

"Yes, well, Miss Oswin Clara's name isn't really 'Oswin Clara'. Right… Oswin." The Doctor turned his head to Clara for help, hoping to get the Colonel's attention away from himself. But Clara wasn't about to destroy this very interesting moment. So she stayed silent.

"Tell me, Doctor," The Colonel back away and settled herself into a grand chair at the center of the room. "To what do I owe the honor of having you onboard the Byltro?"

"It was an accident, actually." He said, having slightly recovered. Walking around, he took a look at the different controls and monitors. "I was hoping you would allow me to use some of your equipment to track down my Tardis. She kind of… disappeared." He fidgeted slightly. Clara could see it was hard for him to admit that he had lost control over his ship, especially to someone who obviously knew how to command one as complex as the one they were on.

"It would be an honor to help you, Doctor, but now is not an opportune time. We've recently had an alert. Someone who isn't supposed to be on this ship is. That's why my men and I thought you were intruders. We are working now to find the real intruders and we need all of the equipment at our disposal. I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, of course. In fact, maybe I can help. I'm sure I cou-"

"Please, don't trouble yourself, Doctor." The Colonel stated a little too quickly. "We've got everything under control. In the meantime, Lieutenant Marshall will escort you to the room where you and your daughter can stay while everything is sorted."

"I'm not his daughter!" Clara shouted indignantly, finally getting the attention of the people in the room, especially that of the Colonel, who looked displeased.

"Then you must be his wife."

"No!" They both shouted, taking a step away from each other.

"Oswin is just my friend." The Colonel's smile returned at that comment. She strode to the Doctor and smirked.

"I must admit, that information pleases me very much." The Doctor's blush returned stronger than before. He reached a hand out to Clara and hastily placed her between him and the Colonel.

"Well, we better be going. Don't want to impose too much."

"Do we have to leave so soon? I'm sure the Colonel would enjoy having you sti-" The Doctor clamped a hand over Clara's mouth and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from escaping.

"Now, Oswin, they're very busy with their intruders." With his hold still on her, Clara enthusiastically waved goodbye while the Doctor led them toward the exit. The Lieutenant followed behind after exchanging a few silent words with the Colonel.

"You're going to pay for that." The Doctor said, having finally taken his hands away from her and moving her aside to let him walk faster.

"Oh, lighten up, will you? I was just having a bit of fun after everyone ignored me. Nothing wrong with that, right Lieutenant Marshall?"

"I gue-"

"When it's at my expense, it is. Right Marshall?"

"I suppo-"

"Well, I plan on teasing you a lot from now on, so you better get used to it. Right Lieutenant?"

The Doctor was about to retort but stopped when he noticed a door sliding open. The Lieutenant motioned for them to enter. It was a small room with plain white walls. There was nothing in the room besides a single twin sized bed. Great.

"I apologize but this is the only spare room available for you to stay. We aren't exactly equipped for guests. I hope this won't be a problem."

"No problem at all." Clara glared at the Doctor's back.

"There's a restroom in there should you need it." He pointed to a door in the room. "Would you like me to send over a meal?"

"Actually, I could go for-"

"That won't be necessary, Marshall. Thank you."

"In that case, I'll be off. I'll come back to notify you when the equipment is ready for you to use."

"Yeah, thanks." The Doctor closed the door abruptly and began to pace back and forth.

"Why did you say no? Unlike you, I'm human and need food."

"Something's very wrong here."

"I'll say," Clara looked around. "There's only one bed. I hope you're keen on sleeping on the floor because I'm sure not going to."

"Yeah, fine." He waved a hand dismissively. Clara settled herself on the bed and watched him pace around.

"Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Something strange is going on."

"Why do you say that?"

"First of all, didn't you notice what little personnel they have? The few that surrounded us were the same ones who had stations in the control room. For a ship full of war criminals they sure are pushing their luck with so little armed men."

"Maybe since those were the closest ones, she sent them."

"But that doesn't make sense. A ship as big as this should have men to spare, especially considering the fact that it's full of the enemy. She shouldn't be sending men in charge of controls unless she has no one else."

"I guess."

"And if I'm right about the amount of men, which I probably am, then why did Marshall say that there weren't any other rooms available for us to stay in? There should be rooms by the dozen."

He turned his gaze to hers and a thought struck her. "Hey, didn't you notice how your girlfriend was really eager to have you around-"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"But as soon as you offered to help, she immediately tried to get you out of the room? She got nervous. And! If there are many available rooms then why did they put us in a room so close to the control room? Are they trying to keep an eye on us, keep us close? Maybe there's something more going on here than just 'transporting cargo' that they don't want us to know about."

He smiled. "I almost forgot how good you are. What do you say to a little secret investigation?" He extended his hand and she eagerly took it. He turned to open the door but she stopped him.

"Wait, what if Lieutenant Marshall comes back and sees that we're not here?"

"We'll just have to hurry and come back before he does. I doubt he'll be back anytime soon."

Opening the door quietly, he pocked his head out before pulling them out into the hallway and closing the door behind them.

"Ok, so the control room is down the left, so let's head to the right. Keep it quiet, and try to stay away from any camera vantage points. We don't want anyone finding out what we're doing."

"Especially not your girlfriend." She whispered back.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

**Author's Note:**** I'm officially on Thanksgiving Break! FINALLY! And I'd thought I'd celebrate by posting chapter 4. Plus I'm just SUPER DUPER excited! ONLY ONE MORE DAY UNTIL THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR! AJSKHJLFNSNH! I'm actually gonna miss the simulcast since I don't have BBC America. But I am going to see it on the 25th in theaters along with my two sisters. I just have to make sure not to go on the internet until then to avoid spoilers. I plan on putting my laptop in the freezer, disconnecting the internet and chucking it out the window, and hiding under my bed. That should do it, right?**

**Anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying the story thus far. Don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Prisoners of War

"I swear," The Doctor closed the door a little too hard and walked toward the next room. "In all of my 1200 and plus years, I have never been in a more _boring_ ship than this one." He soniced the door and barely glanced inside before closing it again.

"1200 and plus years?"

"When you live as long as I have, you begin to lose count at some point."

"Or maybe, now that you look older, you don't want to admit how old you really are."

"What are you trying to say?" He turned to face her.

"That the fact that you're wearing punk rock boots isn't helping you much." She smirked.

"I'm not having a mid-life crisis."

"I didn't say that."

"You suggested it."

"You confirmed it."

"No I didn't. Can you just drop this and help me look instead of leaning against the wall, annoying me."

"Doctor, we've search who knows how many rooms. There's nothing at all. We should just go back before they notice we're gone."

"Do you remember the way back?"

She frowned. "No, not really."

"Well, neither do I. So shut up and help me look." He walked down the hall and was about to turn around the corner when he suddenly pressed himself against the wall.

"What's goi-"

"Shh!" Closing her mouth, she drew a little closer to try and listen to any noises. The sound of a heavy door opening and closing served as a signal for the Doctor to finally turn the corner, Clara following.

"Who just went in there?" The Doctor took the sonic screwdriver out and began scanning the large door.

"I think it was Marshall."

"But shouldn't he be in the control room? Why would he risk his safety by looking for the intruder all on his own?"

"He might not be looking for someone but questioning."

"Questioning? Questioning who?"

"Some war criminals." The door slid open in front of them. The inside was dark and he could feel that it was slightly colder than the hallway.

"Ladies first." Clara gave him a look.

"Fine, I'll go first then." The Doctor placed his sonic into his coat pocket and stepped inside. Only after hearing her follow behind and the door close did he take a look around. There was only one winding stair case in front of them, heading down. They began to make their way down, the only sounds coming from the occasional squeaking of the metal. It took them a minute or so of climbing down before they came to a dimly lit, wide room. Rows of shelf-like structures that reached up into the ceiling stood out in front of them.

Only after taking a sharp intake of air, did the Doctor notice how cold the room really was. He turned toward Clara and noticed her hunched over slightly; visible breath coming out in short puffs.

She was hugging herself. _Maybe this short-sleeve wasn't the best choice._ Suddenly, she felt something heavy drape over her shoulders. Warmth came rushing back to her body as she looked down to see the Doctor's hands tie the sash of his coat tightly around her, effectively cutting out the cold and keeping in the heat.

"There. Don't want you dying from hypothermia, now do we." Looking up, the soft lighting was enough for her to see a small smile grace his features. "I'll be keeping this, though. If you don't mind." He pulled the scarf tighter around his neck. She grinned back and pushed her arms through the long sleeves, bringing them up to the collar to protect her neck from the biting air.

"So, the criminals are being held in these… shelf things?"

"Looks like it."

"Why is it so quiet?"

"Maybe they're sleeping." He replied, voice attempting to hide annoyance.

"Where do you think the Lieutenant went?"

"You ask way too many questions, you know that?"

"Well, excuse me. Don't know why you're so angry, gives you a chance to show off."

"Now isn't the time to show off." He walked toward the nearest aisle of shelves.

She scoffed. "Any time for you is the time to show off." The Doctor ignored her comment and looked up. The shelves looked more like giant cubicles, each holding a glass case that covered the whole space. They were wide enough that six people could fit side to side. The glass was white, not see through.

Clara and the Doctor walked down the aisle and turned into the next one. It held the same thing as the previous one. The Doctor took a stepped closer to a case, pushed his glasses to the top of his head, and looked around its outer edges.

"They don't look like they open."

"But they have to. How else would they feed the prisoners? Unless, they don't." Clara reached out and placed her hand on the lowest glass case, only to sharply draw it back with a gasp. It was colder than the air. So much colder that it burned her hand. The Doctor must have heard her gasp for he was now examining her hand for any damage.

"Doctor," Her voice shook a little.

"Oswin, its fine. Just some redness and a bit of swelling."

"Doctor,"

"You'll feel a bit of stinging, but you'll be fine."

"Doctor! Look!" He turned to face the case and saw the outline of Clara's hand on the surface. The glass wasn't white, it was just covered in condensation. But what was more interesting was the fact that now they could see the inside of the case through her handprint. He took a closer look and his breath caught in his throat.

He quickly came up to the case and frantically wiped away as much fog as he could. But that didn't satisfy him. He ran toward the next case and cleared the fog there as well. And then he went to the next one. And the next one. But it was useless. No matter how much he wished, and no matter how many cases he wiped, they all held the same thing.

Bodies. Bodies stacked on top of one another, like books. Every single case held the bodies of men, women, and even children. The Doctor's hands shook at his sides, but not from the cold or the blistering pain.

Clara was first to recover. "Doctor, how can these people – these children, be war criminals?"

"They're not," The voice knocked him out of his stupor. His gaze left the unknown face of a small boy and settled on the familiar one of Lieutenant Marshall.

"They're civilians."

**Author's Note:**** (Ominous music plays in the distance) Sorry it took me so long to update. I didn't have a chance to work on this until now. Hopefully I'll have chances like this more often. But enough of me. What do you think? (Cue Jeopardy music) Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**** The rating changed to T, not really because of this chapter but for things coming up. Although, this chapter is pretty dark. But nothing really crazy, at least I don't think...**

Chapter 6: Losing Control

Neither Clara nor the Lieutenant were prepared for the Doctor's reaction. Before they could even blink, he had walked up to the Lieutenant and punched him straight on the jaw. Clara gasped.

"Doctor! Don't!"

The Doctor grabbed the Lieutenant by the collar, tugging him up from his position on the ground, and practically slammed him against the metal framework holding the cases.

"What is going on here, Marshall? Why the _hell_ are these people frozen like this!?"

"Doctor, please calm down. I-"

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, especially not after seeing this. You have no idea what I'm capable of." He hissed.

The Lieutenant only smiled. "I think I know enough about you to know that I shouldn't confront you during a situation like this unless I was on your side." The Doctor eyed him menacingly.

"Doctor, you need to calm down and let go of him. Just let him talk." Clara placed a hand on the Doctor's arm, causing him to turn his head abruptly in her direction. Clara was a more than a little startled to see the darkness now showing on his face and in his eyes. She had never seen anything like it before.

He must have noticed her oncoming distress for soon his eyes softened. Reluctantly, he let go of the Lieutenant and took a step back, Clara studying his every move.

Taking off his glasses, he ran a shaking hand across his face and looked down once he felt the stinging sensation on his palm. His hand was blistered from the cold of the cases. However, it was healing now. He watched as both his hands began to glow lightly, blisters and pain gone when the light faded. "Residual energy." He muttered under his breath.

A faint beeping sound brought him back from his thoughts as silence fell between the three of them. Clara looked around to try and catch the source, gaze finally fixing on the Lieutenant. Picking up his wrist, the Lieutenant pushed a button on the device and the beeping stopped.

"It must've activated something when my arm hit the metal." He said dismissively.

Coming back toward the Lieutenant, the Doctor fixed him with a cold stare.

"Alright, Marshall, you better start explaining before I lose my patience again."

The Lieutenant sighed and tentatively touched his jaw where the Doctor had just hit him. "First off, I'm not who you think I am."

"What?" They asked simultaneously.

"I mean, I'm not part of the original crew onboard this ship."

"You're the intruder they've been looking for." The Doctor ascertained. He received an affirming nod in return.

"I teleported onboard this ship shortly before you two came. Immediately after, I was able to get to the control room and manipulate the crew's memories so that they believed I was part of the crew from the beginning. I was about to disable the alarm that signaled an intruder when you came. A second intrusion onboard intensified the alarms and the crew members regained consciousness before I could disable them. That's why they talked about an intruder. But I was able to wipe that part of their memories after I left you in your room."

"But why did you teleport here in the first place?"

"I…" He trailed off and seemed to contemplate how much to tell them. "I'm a member of the Mismontary Cult. I have been for the past twenty-five years of my life."

"Twenty-five years? But don't you have to be at least 18 or something to join a cult? You can't be over thirty years old!" Clara interjected, with a slightly admiring tone. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Thank you for that compliment. But I'm actually twenty-six. Every three years, the Cult holds a special ceremony where they choose new members among children of four years and younger. During the ceremony, the elders of the Cult take time examining every child to determine who have the required virtues. These children are then trained for the next twenty or so years of their lives."

"Trained for what?"

"For their mission. Every child is destined one mission that they must train for for their whole life. They must complete it at all costs, even if it means dying in the process. Given the complex nature of the missions, sometimes several members work together to complete the same mission."

"And what exactly is the nature of these missions?" The Doctor asked suspiciously.

"To rewrite a part of history. But only if results in more peace and writes wrongs."

Clara eyed the Doctor as he took a step closer to the Lieutenant. She could practically feel his earlier anger resurfacing again.

"What exactly gives you and your _Cult_ the right to mess with history?" The Lieutenant's gaze hardened at hearing the Doctor's accusing tone.

"I can't fathom as to why you have become so angry, Doctor. After all, you do this all the time. The only difference is that we take care to take on missions and interfere only when the results are sure to yield positive outcomes. While as you… well, we all know that not all of _your_ meddling, no matter how well intended, has always given good results."

The Doctor's anger was evident now more than ever. He was seething. Clara took hold of his wrist when she noted that both men's hands had curled up into fists. She didn't want another repeat of earlier.

"I hope for your sake that you're not lying to me."

"I have immense respect for you, Doctor, and would not lie to you. However, if you try to question my honor and that of the Cult again, I cannot promise that my respect will continue to stand."

"I don't want your respect."

"That may be so, but right now, you need it if you want to know what's going on in this ship."

Suddenly, Clara felt a pull at her arm so she tightened her hold on his wrist, thinking that he might have attempted to strike the Lieutenant again. It only resulted in him taking an almost painful hold on her own wrist and fixing her gaze with his blazing one.

"Let go of me, Clara." She did, but more out of surprise that he had called her by her real name than out of fear. Although, she didn't find any pleasure in admitting that a part of her was starting to really fear him. She had only ever feared him once before, when he had demanded to know who she really was. But even so, that fear didn't compare to the fear she was feeling right now. However, this time it wasn't just a fear _of_ him but a fear _for_ him. After all, it hasn't even been 24 hours since he regenerated. She didn't know how he would behave toward anything, and she was afraid for him because it was obvious with his current nervous and fuming pacing that he had no idea either. He couldn't even seem to control himself. She was scared that this lack of control would cause him to make horrible decisions.

"So tell me, then." His voice knocked her out of her thoughts. "What exactly is your mission?"

"Do you know much about the Venestrian Army?"

"No. I obviously don't or I wouldn't be restraining myself to keep your _respect_." Clara nudged him with her elbow.

"The ships used, or should I say the ships that _will_ be used in their armies, such as this one, are fueled by… by people. Not just people, but by any living thing. The ships are designed to use the life force of the living things as fuel. One person is enough to fuel this ship for about 6 years.

"So these people…" He gestured to the unconscious people surrounding them. "These people are what's going to keep their armies running. It's a new move by the military. And this ship is actually the test run. The beginning of it all. That's why there's so little personnel. They just needed enough people to administer the transport of this first 'batch' of fuel, as they call it. And it is my mission to sabotage this ship so that the High Council back in Venestra thinks that this new move by the military is useless and abandon it."

"But why these people? What have these people done to be considered as…" She couldn't complete the thought. It was already shaking her up to think that all these people were being treated as a commodity.

"Oh, Oswin. Don't you ever think?" He remarked bitterly. "It's pretty evident that they're running out of resources for fuel. So they're using the next best thing that's in abundance. These people are probably just insignificant members of some of Venestra's rundown colonies-"

"Stop it." She whispered harshly. But he ignored her.

"Kept in these arctic-like stasis chambers like frozen meat. Keeps them fresh for when they're needed."

"Doctor, please."

"And so now it's Lieutenant Hero's mission to save the day." He remarked in a fake admiring tone.

"Doctor, stop being such a-"

"Such a what?" His tone snapped back to menacing as he drew himself closer, looming over her.

"Such a… Ugh, just stop! I understand that you're frustrated and unsettled, and I know that the fact that you just regenerated isn't helping, but stop talking about these people like they don't matter. And stop taking it out on the Lieutenant! He's actually trying to fix this!"

"And what am I doing? Knitting!?"

"Right now you're being insufferable!"

"And what are you doing, huh? _Clara_. What exactly are you doing to help fix this? Nothing! That's what. So far you haven't done anything that has gotten us closer to fixing this problem besides ask useless questions. In fact, why are you even here? What's the _point_ of you? You're obviously of no use to me, or anybody else really, so why don't you just _go home_."

Burning pain blurred his thoughts. Touching his face, he felt his cheek sting from making forceful contact with her hand. He blinked several times until his mind was no longer muddled. Gone was the uncontrollable anger, the rage, the frustration, the overwhelming sense of arrogance. Her slap had hurt, still hurt, but it had helped him come back to his former self.

He smiled warmly down at her but it quickly faded once he saw the pain and tears in her eyes. Watching her cradle the hand that she had injured earlier made him remember that she wasn't a Timelord who had just regenerated. She didn't have residual energy to heal herself like he did. She had just injured herself again… because of him.

Cautiously taking a step closer to her, he reached out his hand. "Oswin, I-"

"Don't touch me." He flinched at the fury of her words. She was taking steps away from him.

"I'm sorry, I didn-"

"I want to go home. I don't want to travel with you anymore." She choked through tears.

"Oswin, please-"

"That's not my name – DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Heading back toward the stairs, her retreating steps turned into a run as she went around the corner and out of sight with him following rapidly behind.

"Oswin, stop! Please!" As he made the turn, his feet stopped at seeing a heart wrenching scene. Two soldiers were struggling to confine her. One held her arms while the other was covering her mouth. He watched her grapple to break free but she soon fell limply onto the cold, metal floor. He ran toward her, screaming her special name. But he never made it. How could he when there were others pinning him down?

The last thing he saw was the blurred form of Clara being hauled up from the ground before darkness surrounded him.

**Author's Note:**** Yeah, the Doctor's a jerk in this one. Blame it on his regeneration crisis finally kicking in, and just the fact that this Doctor is darker than Eleven was. Do you want to strangle him with the scarf? :P**

**Anyways, I want to thank all of you who favorited and followed. You guys are the best! Making me feel are warm and cozy inside! It's nice to see that people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it and that it's not a total bust like I feared it would be. And just a general thank you to everyone else who's reading too! All these views make me so happy :D**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Forgiveness

Bolting up with a start, his head crashed into the hard wall behind him. He gasped and groaned at the pain. He was going to kill whoever thought it was a good idea to sit him on the floor and against a wall. If there wasn't a blindfold covering his eyes, he was sure he would be seeing the whole galaxy right now. He lifted a hand to massage the bump only to discover that his hands were handcuffed behind his back. _This is just great._

He stilled himself, trying to catch any sound or voice. When he didn't hear any indication that someone was around, he tried to slip his hands out of the handcuffs but instead of loosening up, it felt like they was getting tighter and cutting into his skin. Maybe it was just his imagination. After all, he had just smacked his head on a wall. Not to mention being knocked out cold by people he hadn't even seen shortly after getting slapped by Clara – _Clara._

"Oswin?" He didn't hear a reply and it struck him that she might still be unconscious. Or maybe she wasn't with him at all. Panic grew in his chest at the thought of her being locked up far away from him. What would they be doing to her?

He began to shuffle along the wall, spreading his legs out now and again in the hopes that he would come into contact with her. Nothing came up in that brief space; the room was bare as far as he could tell.

Deciding that he couldn't explore the rest of the room while on the floor, he pressed his back against the wall and used it as support to push himself up. Just as he was at his full height, he heard a door unlock across from him. Sliding back down to the floor, he tried to act natural. Well, as natural as anyone who was tied up and blindfolded would act.

Taking note of the sounds, he realized that two people had come in. "Get up."

The Doctor raised his head in the direction of the voice. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that? I can't exactly use my hands thanks to you lot."

"Then I'll help you." He suddenly felt someone grab his head and push him forward. The person grabbed his tied wrists and pulled him up from the ground. Wincing at the new pain in his arms and shoulders, he stumbled forward onto his feet and felt himself bump into another body.

"Watch it." He was pushed back.

"How can I!? If you haven't noticed yet, I'm blindfolded." He hadn't expected a hit to his stomach. But it was done and now he was doubled over, coughing. He would have slumped to the floor had it not been for the other's still iron hold on his wrists.

"Bastards."

"You sure aren't making this easy are you?" He didn't reply; he was still too busy struggling to regain his breath.

"Forget it," said the one holding him. "We need to take him to the Colonel." Each took a hold of the Doctor's arms and led him out of the room. After a couple of minutes of walking, they came to a stop where one of the soldiers put in a code, opening a door. The Doctor was sure that they were in the control room; he recognized the sounds buzzing around him. They pushed him inside and settled him on a chair. The blindfold was finally removed and he blinked heavily at the sudden bright light. His eyes finally settled on the blurred image of Colonel Astrof standing a couple of feet in front of him.

"It's a shame that we have to go to such extreme measures to confine you, Doctor. But as you can guess, after what you've seen, we can't take any chances."

"Right now I can't see anything." He replied snarkily, referring to the absence of his glasses. Her outline came into focus little by little as she made her way to him. He felt her fumble with his front pants pocket and soon his glasses were resting back on his face.

"There. You look better with them, anyways."

"Where's Oswin?"

"Ah, yes. You're little companion. She should be here any moment, actually." As if that was the signal, the door swung open and in came the Lieutenant, Clara closely by his side. He could feel immense fury washing over him like earlier as he took in her state. They had also tied her hands behind her back and blindfolded her like they had done to him, but they had also placed a gag over her mouth. It looked like it was put tight enough to leave marks on the sides of her mouth and his anger grew at imagining the bruises. He could see tear stains on her cheeks and her hair was a mess. She was still wearing his coat, which only helped to deepen her small and vulnerable appearance. The Lieutenant set her in a chair several feet across from him.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Oswin?" She visibly started and he thought he heard a muffled whimper. "Oswin, its fine. I'm here. You're going to be fine." He inwardly cursed at the crack in his voice. "Do you hear me?" He waited until she nodded weakly before continuing. "You're going to be fine. I promise."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Doctor."

"I can assure you, Colonel, that I intend to keep that promise. _Even if I have to end you_." The Colonel smirked at the last bit.

"You're in no position to threaten me. But maybe you need a reminder." Hands came clasping down on his shoulders, holding him in place, as the soldier who had punched him earlier took another swing at him; this time it was on his jaw. He dropped his chin against his chest and closed his eyes tightly, determined not to make a sound. He wasn't about to give them that satisfaction. But as he used his tongue to probe around, he found himself to be grateful that Clara was still blindfolded. He didn't want her to see the trail of blood he was sure was falling lightly from his mouth.

The Colonel walked up to him purposefully and fisted a hand in his hair, yanking his head up and forcing his eyes on hers. Her smirk was still present as her eyes bore into his, daring him. She lifted a hand and cupped his face before whipping some stray blood from the corner of his mouth, only to clean her finger on the collar of his shirt.

When she backed away, he turned his gaze to the Lieutenant, who didn't return the stare. Why hadn't he been captured like him and Clara? Had he managed to convince the Colonel that he was truly on her side? Or was everything that had happened all part of some plan that he had no clue about?

"The Lieutenant won't help you, Doctor. In fact, he was the one who told me about your location. So you can thank him for your current situation." The Lieutenant didn't react to the reveal of his betrayal.

"Why are we still here?" He asked, suddenly curious. "What's the point of keeping us alive?"

"Once again, you have Lieutenant Marshall to thank for that. I was going to kill you and your friend but Marshall convinced me that you are of more use to me and Venestra alive than dead."

"And how is that?"

"You're a Timelord. Imagine how strong your life force must be to be able to regenerate your body when you're dying. Imagine all that energy."

"You want me to be your lab rat? What makes your think I would ever agree to that?"

"We have methods that I'm sure you'll find very persuasive." She nodded toward the man that had punched the Doctor. The man came up to Clara and took off the blindfold and gag over her mouth. The Doctor watched as a hand fisted itself into her hair, keeping her head in place as the other hand came down in a flash, striking Clara. Clara cried out in pain and a sob shook through her. She was about to be hit again, but the Doctor's pleas interrupted.

"NO! Don't touch her! I'll do it! I'll do it, alright!? Just leave her alone. Just… please. Don't hurt her." He stared at her trembling frame as the Colonel ordered the soldier away from Clara's side. Her head was down, hair creating a curtain around her. He wanted desperately to see her face, to look into her eyes to see if she was, in some sense, alright. But of course she wouldn't be alright. How could she be after everything that had just happened? _It's all my fault._

"That didn't take long. Then again, men like you are always easy to break. You know, Doctor, looking at you now, I don't even know why you've always been feared or praised. You're so _weak_. Take them away."

They were both lifted from their seats and taken out of the room. All the Doctor could do was stare at Clara, but she didn't look back at him. She just kept her head down, staring at the floor. He could clearly see the marks around her mouth from the gag and a bruise forming on her cheek from where she had been hit. Thankfully tears had stopped falling but it still killed him that she wouldn't even spare him a passing glance.

Finally, they came to a room where they were shoved into. The Doctor waited a couple of seconds after the soldiers had left before rushing to Clara's side, who had knelt down in the corner of the room. He knelt down beside her and pulled at his hands to reach out for her, comfort her, but he realized that they were still tied.

He gave a frustrated groan, but then realized that Clara still had his coat on. Turning around, he backed into her awkwardly and fumbled for his coat pocket. Finding his sonic screwdriver, he soniced the handcuffs. They fell away immediately and he soon took off Clara's. He gathered her into his arms, brushing tear-stained hair from her face.

"Oswin, Oswin look at me. Are you okay? _Damn it_, Oswin, talk to me!" But she didn't reply. Her face was expressionless, skin as white as a sheet. And he suddenly remembered that she hadn't eaten anything.

"Please. Talk to me. Say something. Anything…" Nothing. He blinked back tears while placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. But once his lips touched her, she pushed him back vehemently. However, he wasn't about to let go of her so easily now that he was getting some sort of a reaction.

"Don't! Let go of me! Let go!"

She struggled against him, punching, and clawing at his shirt while he whispered pathetic apologies into her hair. Little by little she calmed down to the point where she was now hugging him, clinging to him while hiding her face in his chest. She continued crying a little more, trying to free herself from all the emotions burning inside her. He swayed them gently back and forth, rubbing her back. Soon she stopped crying and brought a hand up to wipe away her tears. He smoothed out her hair.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"Oh, shut up, _old man_." He smiled at noticing the old playfulness in her weak voice.

"I take it you forgive me for everything." Her arms tightened their hold on him and she gave him a small smile. At that sight, he felt a weight lift from his tired body.

"I never blamed you for anything. This isn't your fault so stop thinking it is." She broke the embrace only to punch him on the arm with surprising strength.

"Ow! If you don't hate me then why are you hitting me?"

"Because I can't hate you. You're the Doctor. I could never hate you." He cupped her face and placed a kiss on her forehead; this time it was gladly received.

"How exactly are we going to get out of here?" She asked while the Doctor pulled her to her feet.

"We need to get the Tardis back. But to do that we're going to need access to the control room."

"I can help with that," So absorbed in their conversation, they hadn't noticed the door open behind them. The Lieutenant stood under the doorframe, arms folded.

"But I'm going to need your help in return."

**Author's Note:**** I don't like this chapter as much as the others. It didn't come out how I wanted it. I apologize if the writing (and the ideas) is sloppy, I wrote it pretty fast and didn't bother to proofread. I wanted to post it since I'm going to disappear for a week or so - got Uni exams and need to study study study. I hope you guys like it more than I do and thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Need to Help and Protect

Clara beat the Doctor to the punch. Literally. She came up to the Lieutenant and stood at her fullest height.

"You've got some nerve! What makes you think-" Punch. "That we're going to-" Punch. "Help you-" Punch. "After what you did to us!?" She was about to punch him again when the Doctor grabbed her waist and lifted her away.

"Ok, I think he gets it." Setting her down, he turned to the Lieutenant and grew serious.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I need your help."

"Why should we help you?" Clara interrupted. Suddenly the lights around them started to flicker. The ship gave an unexpectedly violent jerk that sent all three of them onto the floor.

"It's starting." The Lieutenant grunted as he tried to stand up, holding onto the doorframe for support while the floor trembled somewhat.

"What's starting? Why is this happening?" The Doctor helped Clara off the floor. They clung onto each other as the ship gave another sudden shake.

"The ship is starting to fail. Any moment now all power will be lost and the ship will go hurtling down into any planet that happens to be in the way."

"But I thought you said that one person could power the ship for six years?"

"He also said this was the test run." The Doctor answered. "Apparently whatever they're using to harness the life force is beginning to malfunction, isn't it?" The Lieutenant couldn't answer as the ship shook again, but this time with more force. The Doctor and Clara tumbled back, falling against the wall as the Lieutenant continued his steadfast hold on the doorframe.

"Are you going to help me or not!?" He shouted over the now blaring alarms. The Doctor nodded his affirmation and pulled Clara with him into the hall to follow behind the Lieutenant, who now held his gun at the ready.

"We need to go down to the prison room. That's where the life reactor supplying the power to the ship is. We need to find a way to stabilize it before it fails completely." They ran through the halls, occasionally stumbling onto the floor and crashing into walls as the ship continued to toss them around.

It didn't take them long before they came to the familiar large door. But this time it was being guarded by four soldiers. The Doctor came to stand in front of Clara and whipped out his sonic screwdriver as the soldiers rushed towards them. However, they didn't head for them but for the Lieutenant. Even more surprising was when both the Lieutenant and the soldiers held down their weapons.

"Have they showed up yet?" The Lieutenant questioned.

"Not yet. The control room is a little farther away that from where you came from so they won't take long." The Doctor recognized the voice.

"You're the one who dragged me to the Colonel along with that bastard who punched me!" Clara's eyes went wide.

The man smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I needed to act the part and couldn't exactly stop him without getting caught."

The Lieutenant turned to the Doctor and Clara and smirked at their confused expression. "I told you that sometimes several members work together for one mission, didn't I?" He then turned to the door and entered a code. When it opened, three soldiers rushed inside with the Lieutenant, the Doctor, and Clara following. But the soldier the Doctor had recognized stayed in the hall.

"I'll hold them off as long as I can." The Lieutenant nodded. Clara, however, was adamant.

"There're seven of them! They'll kill you!"

"Thank you for the concern, Miss. But this is how I want to die." Clara stared horrified as the door closed in front of her.

"He was told by the Cult that he would die on this mission." The Lieutenant said with sadness in his voice. "They also told him that he could choose how to die." They stood in silence for a couple of seconds before the Lieutenant cleared his throat and began to descend the stairs.

The six quickly went down the winding stairs. Coming to the prison room, Clara gasped at the sight that welcomed them. The ships movements had caused some stasis chambers to fall and now some of the aisles contained shattered remains and naked bodies scattered on parts of the floor. Clara made to rush to the people but the Doctor quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"Oswin, don't."

"What if they're still alive!? We need to help them!"

"There's nothing we can do." The Lieutenant interrupted. "The stasis chambers are designed to preserve the life force, but its extreme temperature damages the organs. Even if some are alive, they won't survive more than a couple of hours." The ship gave another series of shakes and one or two chambers shattered onto the ground. Clara hid her face in the Doctor's arm when she saw the bodies slay violently onto the floor.

"We need to hurry before the Colonel comes." The Lieutenant said and they began running through the rows, trying to step aside and avoid the fallen bodies and occasionally having to step or jump over some. The entire time Clara tried to keep her eyes focused on the Doctor's back as he pulled her by the hand, trying not to catch a glimpse of the bodies surrounding her. But she couldn't stop the prickling in her eyes. She felt the Doctor squeeze her hand and she knew that he had seen some of the bodies move too.

Soon a hall came into view in the far right corner. The Lieutenant, the Doctor, and Clara rushed in while the three remaining soldiers stayed behind, weapons positioned in their hands to guard the entrance to the hall. A little into the hall, a glass wall came up on their left, and behind it a room with controls and what the Doctor knew to be the life reactor pressed against a wall.

The Doctor and the Lieutenant got to work straight away while the ship continued to tremble. The Doctor began scanning the life reactor with his sonic screwdriver while the Lieutenant made for the controls and monitors. Clara stood back and watched. She wanted to help, but what could she do? She wasn't a Timelord with endless amounts of knowledge of the universe; nor was she a man who had trained for over twenty years for a mission. She was just a regular Earth girl…

The sound of shots being fired suddenly came, signaling the arrival of the Colonel and her men. The Doctor and the Lieutenant sped up their efforts while Clara continued to stand there, bracing herself against the wall to keep from falling. She needed to do something. She needed to help.

"Doctor, how can I help you? Tell me what to do."

"Just stay where you are." He said dismissively, not even bothering to look at her. That angered her. She wasn't going to be one of those girls who curled up in a corner relying on others to do the fighting.

"I can't just stand here. I want to help!" The Doctor ignored her and continued with his task. But she wasn't about to let him stop her. Making up her mind, she finally rid herself of the Doctor's coat, dropping it to the side.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor's panicked voice asked as he came to stand in front of her.

"I'm going to go help the others and your coat is only going to get in the way." She replied, looking around the room for some type of weapon to use. "I need something to fight with."

"Here, take my spare gun." The Lieutenant offered her the weapon. She reached for it but the Doctor snatched it out of the Lieutenant's hand before she could get it.

"No, you're not. There's no way I'm going to let you go out there. You're going to stay right here."

"I can't, Doctor! Not when others can do with my help. Why can't you understand that I can't just stand by and let things happen when I know that I can help?"

"AND WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I CAN'T RISK LOSING YOU!?" Silence filled that air while they stared at one another. She didn't know how to respond to his outburst, not with him staring so intently into her eyes. Not even the ships jerky movements could break the stare as they instinctively clung onto each other for support. The ships movements soon calmed along with the Doctor's eyes and he gave a wary sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"Promise me – _Promise me,_ that you're going to be careful… and that you're going to come back _safe_."

She nodded and he reluctantly handed her the gun. But before she took it, she flung her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"I promise." She untangled her arms from him, grabbed the gun and cautiously left down the hall. The Doctor's eyes followed her until she was out of sight. The Lieutenant's gentle touch to his arm brought him back from his stupor and he willed himself to continue his earlier efforts.

But he couldn't stop the nagging feeling of uneasiness and dread that loomed in the back of his mind.

**Author's Note:**** I'm back! Finally done with the first semester of uni! YAY! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Trying to Tame the Darkness

Clara held the gun tightly in her hand. She didn't really know how to use it but she was going to find out sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, she detached herself from the wall and jumped out of the hall, pointing the gun out in front of her. There was no one there.

She stood there a while to steady her heartbeat, and wipe her clammy hands on her skirt. Walking toward the rows, she treaded cautiously from aisle to aisle until she came to one where she could see a soldier hiding behind a shelf in the distance. She ran toward him, taking occasional glances above her in case one of the chambers decided to fall down.

Much to her annoyance, the ship began to rock again, throwing her off balance and sending her sliding across the floor. The pieces of glass sliced through her tights and cut her legs and arms. Opening her eyes, she gasped at the sight of the woman in front of her, face was mere centimeters away from her own. Lifeless green eyes stared at her and she couldn't move, not when those eyes reminded her so much of the man who had just died and was replaced with the man she was trying so hard to help now.

Suddenly she felt someone grip her hand, pull her over the woman, and into a hard embrace. She heard the chamber crash behind her and felt the pieces rain on her back and legs. The soldier let go and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks. I'm Clara by the way."

"Senf. What are you doing here? I thought you were helping Marshall and the Doctor."

"Yeah, well, wasn't helping much there so I came to help you guys. How's it going?"

"Not too good." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the end of the aisle and across to where the next set of rows began. They settled themselves behind one the shelves where one soldier was sitting, gripping his bleeding arm. Another was hiding behind the shelf on the left and sending shots down the aisle.

"Here, let me help." She took the piece of clothing the man held in his hand and tied it around his wound.

"Thank you." Clara smiled back and stood up.

"How many are there?"

"Four including the Colonel." Senf replied before starting to shoot the aisle on the right. Clara positioned the gun and began to aim down the same aisle. Confidence filled her when she saw that her hands weren't shaking like before.

"Do you even know how to use that?" Senf asked with concern.

She smirked. "No, but I'm about to."

* * *

"Hand me that wire on my right." The Lieutenant handed him the wire and he twisted the two exposed ends together. The energy levels in the monitors stopped flickering and for a moment everything seemed to stabilize. However, sudden sparks flared on the controls and the floor continued to quake beneath them.

The Doctor groaned in frustration. That had been their fifth attempt at fixing the power channels and they hadn't gotten closer to fixing it. They were losing power by the second and now they were fresh out of ideas. He scanned the system for the millionth time, hoping against hope that this time it would show new information that they could use.

"Doctor, you're not going to find anything."

"There has to be something."

"Nothing's worked! We only have one more option, Doctor." He turned toward the dejected Lieutenant with a cutting stare.

"You're not seriously suggesting we cause the ship to explode?"

"Yes I am. It's the only way I can complete the mission now."

"I don't give a damn about your mission. I am not going to help you detonate this ship. _I'm not going to let her die here like this_."

"You don't have to. Use the remaining power to locate your Tardis so that you can escape. I know what to do; I trained even for this option, Doctor. I'll stay behind and make the ship explode once you're gone."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, we still have time and power to figure something out."

"We only have less than fifteen percent worth of power."

"That's plenty!"

"No, it's not! The ship is going to plummet any second. You need to retrieve your Tardis _now_ while you still have the chance."

The Doctor sighed. He knew that he had no other choice, and he hated that he had to resort to this. Taking a firmer hold on his sonic screwdriver, he soniced the controls. He rerouted the signal patterns so that they would connect with the controls in the main control room. Knowing that the Tardis would be nearby, he set up a scan to search the area surrounding the ship. He couldn't help but smile when the monitor signaled that it had locked onto his blue box. But the Tardis didn't completely materialize in the room until he shut down the ship's shields.

He didn't wait to see the Tardis come into sight; instead he immediately went out to get Clara. Running out he was met with the sound of guns and shouts. Suddenly he saw Clara and one of the soldiers running out of an aisle and headed his way, the Colonel following behind them.

"Hurry up, Senf! We're almost there!"

"Just keep running! I'm right behind you!"

The Doctor ran out to meet Clara when out of no where she stumbled onto the floor, screaming in pain.

"Oswin!" Quickening his pace, he fell to his knees once he was with her. He looked her over he saw that her leg had a shot wound. Thankfully it hadn't struck her calf directly; it only grazed the side, but was still bad enough that her leg was now bleeding considerably. She winced in pain and fell back onto the floor when she attempted to stand.

"It's ok, I'm here. Shit, I told you to be careful!"

"Now really isn't the time to lecture me." She replied through gritted teeth.

"You need to get her out of here!" Senf said while he fired at the Colonel, who was now using the one of the shelves as a barrier. The Doctor grabbed the scarf that was still miraculously around his neck and tied it awkwardly around her calf. Taking the gun from Clara so that she could take a firm hold on him, he stuffed it behind him under the belt of his pants and lifted her off the floor. He tried to run but could only manage a speedy walk. Thankfully, Senf was guarding them from behind.

"Senf!" The Doctor glanced back at her shout and saw Senf fall onto his hands and knees before receiving another shot in the head. Blood pooled around his body. Clara tightened her hold on his shoulders, burying her face into his neck.

They were able to make it into the hall and into the reactor room before the Colonel could be in a position to shoot them. But their safety didn't last long as the Colonel soon came into view through the glass. She fired her gun and the glass shattered all over the Doctor and Clara just as the ship began to rock again, causing them to fall over before the shot hit either of them. Clara yelped at the Doctor's weight on her injured leg. He quickly rolled over and pulled her to him to hide against the piece of wall that once supported the glass.

The ship continued to lurch as the Lieutenant took out his gun and began to fire through the hole above them. Luckily, most of the shots missed him before one finally hit his arm. But he continued his firing.

"Oswin, get in the Tardis."

"But the Lieutenant."

"I'll help him. Get in NOW!" Clara began to crawl to the Tardis but the Colonel spotted her and fired in her direction. The shot hit her forearm and she slipped head first into the pool of shattered glass. She looked back and saw the Colonel's insane smile as she pointed her gun at her yet again. Clara closed her eyes and prepared herself for the final shot.

The sound echoed all around her, striking her eardrums with such force that she thought that she might end up deaf. If she survived that is. After another second of silence she willed herself to open her eyes, releasing a breath of relief after realizing that there wasn't anymore pain than what she already had. She smiled and used her good arm to turned to the Lieutenant to thank him for helping her. Confusion overtook when she saw that the Lieutenant didn't even have his gun in hand. Instead he held onto his wounded arm and stared in a different direction.

Following his gaze, her heart stopped at the sight. The Doctor stood over her, his back to her and the gun he had taken from her poised in his hand. His breathing was strangely calm. She couldn't see his face and a part of her was thankful for that.

Heavy breathing and a low chuckled took her attention from the Doctor to the Colonel. She was clutching the side of her abdomen where blood easily flowed through her fingers and onto the floor.

"I certainly wasn't expecting that." She said, her voice raspy.

"_Shut up_."

The Colonel sneered through the pain. "I thought you were a man of peace, Doctor. Isn't that what you always tried so desperately to convey? Look at you now. Weapon in hand. Ready to kill to protect a feeble human girl."

"I told you to _shut up_." He fired the gun again; this time it hit the Colonel's leg. She groaned but didn't shout.

"Doctor! What are you – Stop this!"

"Stay out of this, _Clara_!"

"No! Just leave her. Please."

She flinched when he did a sudden turn to face her. His movements combined with the shakes of the ship made her feel dizzy but she tried not to let it show as she continued to hold his dangerously dark stare.

"You've seen what she's done. _She shot you twice_, and you're still trying to help her?"

"I'm trying to help _you_, to stop you. Look at yourself! Look at what you're doing."

"She deserves this and so much worse."

"Yes, but I'm not going to let you be the one to do it. I'm not going to let you become _this_."

"Become what?" He asked menacingly.

"_A monster_."

The Doctor didn't respond. He had lowered the gun but his firm grip on it remained. His eyes were closed tight, face contorted in anger. She tried to concentrate on him but the dizziness and pain began to overwhelm her. Looking down at herself she saw the blood seep out her limp arm. And at this point the scarf did very little to stop the blood flow from her leg. She felt herself come and go. A distant ringing sounded.

"There's less than ten percent left. Doctor, you need to go now!" The Doctor didn't reply and for the first time Clara began to doubt whether they would make it out of this.

"Please, Doctor…" Her voice was low and frail and she knew she was about to collapse any moment. "Please… not you. Anyone but you…"

Her uninjured arm couldn't support her any longer and she slowly lowered herself down. Her eyes fluttered closed and the only things that her mind could note were the faint sounds around her. The feeling of being lifted off the ground was the last thing to register in her head before she slipped into unconsciousness.

**Author's Note:**** I was supposed to post this chapter two days ago but I got caught up in some Christmas shopping. I still don't have something for my mom...**

**The chapter (and lets face it - the whole story) is very weak on the sciencey stuff cuz I don't know how to come up with that, but I hope you guys like this chapter. The next one will be the last. Thank you all so much for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**** Here it is: the final chapter. It's basically a bunch of fluff and emotional aftermath. So, I want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, or just plain read. It really means a lot since this is my first multi chapter fanfic in almost four years. I really appreciate all of the support. It gave me so much self-confidence. ****_Anyways,_**** I'll just stop and let you get on with the story. Hope you enjoy and happy holidays!**

Chapter 10: Can You Stay Awhile?

Eyes fluttering open, she frowned at the brightness of the room she quickly recognized as her own. She brought up a hand to cover her eyes and tried to move onto her side but something was preventing her from making the full turn. Looking down she saw a large, worn hand covering her own.

Following the trail of flesh and clothing, a smile appeared on her face when she caught sight of the Doctor. He was asleep in a chair beside her bed, his other hand supporting his head and with glasses askew. His hair was ruffled and he stilled donned the same clothes with the waistcoat undone. Frowning, memories of what had happened came to her as she took a closer look at his state.

The sleeves of his shirt were crinkled and had a few tears. Her heart clenched when she saw the traces of blood on the collar and her gaze flew to his face. It looked worse than she remembered. Small cuts criss-crossed along his neck, cheeks, and forehead with dried blood. There was a particularly large cut across his nose and cheekbone that was still very fresh. A bruise covered the corner of his mouth and –

"Are you done staring?" She jumped at hearing his voice and felt his hand tighten on hers. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. I'm just a little edgy after being shot at…" She regretted mentioning it as soon as his hand detached itself from hers and he turned his face away. Sighing, she began to sit up and groaned when an insistent soreness invaded her body. The Doctor immediately flew to her side.

"Careful. Your injuries are completely healed but your body still needs time to recover."

"Completely healed?" Confused, she finally took a proper look at herself and noticed that her previous injuries were no where to be seen. She flexed her arms and legs and only felt the same discomfort but no actual pain like before.

"But… how?"

"Do you doubt my medical skills? What kind of doctor would I be if I couldn't handle simple bullet wounds?" He asked with a hint of playfulness while pouring a glass of water and handing it to her. She didn't drink, instead setting it down and staring at him until she realized something: he _still_ had his cuts and bruises.

"You used your left over regeneration energy on me." It wasn't a question, but a firm statement. He sat next to her on the bed, staring straight ahead.

"Why?" She was still baffled by the notion that he would give up something so valuable for her when there were other means that were just as effective and she couldn't stop the question from escaping.

"That's a stupid question." He took her hand in his and smiled at the sight of their intertwined fingers. "You're my impossible girl. There's no way I was going to let you suffer through all that pain if I could do something to stop it as soon as possible." At last he lifted his eyes to hers. She relaxed when she noticed that there was no trace of the earlier anger and gloom. After a few seconds of silence, the Doctor stood up from her bed.

"I should leave. You need to get more rest." He walked to the door but stopped when Clara called out to him.

"Wait, don't go yet. Let me help you clean up a bit. Just wait here while I change and get some things." She blindly reached into a nearby dresser, pulling out the first articles of clothing that were there and headed into the bathroom before he could protest. It was a relief to strip herself of the bloody and torn clothes. She contemplated taking a shower but decided against it when remembering that the Doctor was waiting for her. Quickly tying her hair into a ponytail and changing into pajama bottoms and a simple t-shirt, she grabbed the rubbing alcohol and the bag of cotton balls she kept under the sink and headed back into the room.

He was sitting on her bed again, body radiating fatigue as he slouched forward with his arms on his legs to support his upper body. It was when he noticed her and rapidly sat up straight did she become aware that he was trying to hide how exhausted he really was. Coming to stand in front of him, she got to work on caring for his wounds.

"Stay still. Stop fidgeting." She complained, planting one hand firmly on top of his head to stop him from moving.

"It stings!"

"Stop acting like such a baby." He grumbled and crossed his arms. Finally having cleaned the smaller cuts, she took off his glasses and began to clean the large one across his nose and cheekbone. He gasped when the alcohol seeped into the laceration and Clara instantly blew air on it to ease the pain. Once he calmed down she decided to finally enter the real reason why she had wanted him to stay.

"What happened after I passed out?" He tensed and for a second she thought he might storm out.

"We escaped, obviously." She ignored his flat tone and pressed on.

"But what happened to the –"

"I didn't kill her, if that's what you're worried about." He interrupted, pushing her hand away from his face a little rougher than he probably meant to. She threw the blood-stained cotton ball into the trash and cupped his face, pushing it up until his eyes met hers.

"I'm glad." Leaning in, she placed a small kiss onto his forehead. Giving him his glasses back, she took the alcohol and cotton balls and headed to place them back in the bathroom.

"But she died anyways." Clara stopped in her tracks and turned to him. He was slouching again, face in his hands. "Marshall too. We couldn't find a way to stabilize the life reactor so the only option left was to detonate the ship before it could crash into something. He stayed behind to do it." He felt a tap in his shoulder and looked up to see Clara extending clothes to him.

"Change into these. They were my dad's so they'll probably fit you."

"Why do I need to change into them?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"Because we're both tired. We both need to rest. And frankly, I don't want to be alone right now and you definitely shouldn't be." She set the clothes on his lap. "You got three minutes to change before I come back." As she proceeded to the bathroom, she heard him give an exasperated sigh.

"You're the boss."

"Am I?" She replied mischievously.

He smirked. "Only for now."

* * *

When she exited the bathroom, he had already changed into the pajama bottoms and was in the process of pushing his head through the shirt. After dimming the lights, she took a drink of water all the while gesturing him to lie down and scoot over, and then settled down next to him.

They lay facing each other for a couple of seconds before she decided to be bold and scooted closer, hugging his midsection and nestling into him. He went rigid, surprised by her actions, but soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around her as well. Nuzzling her face into his chest, she could smell his scent through that of her father's and she decided that she quite liked the strange mix. The scent of two of the most important men in her life. Soon the smell and his warmth began to lull her to sleep.

"Why are you still here?" He suddenly asked. She sighed at his question.

"Well, this is my roo-"

"You know what I mean."

"Would you rather have me leave?" He tightened his hold on her, bringing her closer still.

"If it was up to me, everyone would stay…" He said, voice so low she barely heard the words. She doubted she was supposed to hear them at all. He cleared his throat and continued on his earlier question.

"It's just that… after everything I said - everything I did - what I was about to do, I-" He stopped himself abruptly, not knowing how to go on. He had never been this open with her before and she knew it was hard for him to even think about stuff like this let alone talk about it.

"It's fine, Doctor. I know what you're trying to say. And I want you to know something," She moved away a little to looked up at him and waited for him to look at her. "I am _not_ afraid of you. No matter what, I will always try to be there for you, to help you, to stop you. You've spent your whole life saving the universe; it's about time you let someone save you."

She smiled and he brought her back to him, clinging onto her tighter than he had ever done before. Pressing a tender kiss into her hair, he finally started to feel at ease.

"Thank you."

Before long, they both fell into a peaceful slumber in each others arms.


End file.
